If a cop crashes and dies when chasing someone, should the person being chased be held responsible for the cop's death? [View all]
Broward (Florida) man arrested after deaths of FHP trooper, truck driver in high-speed pursuit on I-95
A day after a Florida Highway Patrol trooper and a truck driver were killed during a pursuit on Interstate 95 in St. Lucie County, the man who led the trooper on the pursuit has been arrested in the two deaths.
The suspect in Fridays chase, Michael Anthony Addison, 30, is from Broward County. He is facing charges of vehicular homicide, felony homicide, driving without a license causing death, aggravated fleeing and eluding with death, among others, the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said in a statement Saturday afternoon.
A St. Lucie County deputy initially tried to stop the suspect early Friday because he was driving at twice the speed limit, but the deputy called it off several minutes later. Trooper Zachary Fink, 26, then resumed the pursuit, trying to stop the driver out of concern he was endangering others, Col. Gary Howze, who heads the Florida Highway Patrol, said.
The suspect made an abrupt U-turn into the opposite direction of traffic on I-95, and Fink followed, turning into the path of a tractor-trailer. The trucks driver and Fink both died.
The "suspect" here is clearly a bad guy, but does it seem right that he should be held responsible for the deaths of the cop and the truck driver? Are the "causing death" and "with death" aspects of these charges fair? Or does it perhaps seem more logical that the cop should be held responsible for his own death as well as the death of the truck driver? Doesn't it seem a bit ironic that out of concern that someone was endangering others, the cop killed an innocent truck driver?